Top Gear's motoring expert puts the cheap and cheerful family car through its paces

It is not difficult to make a car like this. What is really difficult, so hard that almost nobody has ever done it, is to build a car like the Dacia Sandero.

The Dacia Sandero costs £5,995. Presumably Dacia (Renault, rather) makes a profit on each one it sells.

The McLaren sells for £866,000 – a figure that it can pluck from thin air because that’s what super-rich punters will pay for this sort of car.

But the Sandero is one of the most interesting cars that we’ve ever tested.

Usually we write about one model and trim level, but this week we’re going to mention several because there’s an awful lot to be said about Britain’s cheapest new car.

We’ll start at the bottom with the Sandero Access. As you can guess from the name, this is the entry-level model.

No frills but you get what you need with the Dacia Sandero Access

When you open your Dacia brochure you’ll see a list of kit that all Sanderos come with.

On it are key features such as antilock brakes, ISOFIX points for child seats, stability control and four air bags. Safety kit you wouldn’t not want to see on your modern family car.

What you won’t see listed are air conditioning, electric windows and any sort of sound system. Yes, for £5,995 you will have to hum or whistle.

The Access model only comes with a 1.2 litre 74bhp petrol engine. And only in white. And only with black bumpers, door handles and mirrors.

And steel wheels with old-fashioned hubcaps. Despite its pleasantly modern styling, the Access does look old-fashioned.

Move up to the Ambiance for an extra £600 and you get body coloured bumpers, a radio and CD player, electric front windows and a choice of body colours (£470 extra for metallic paint).

Still only £6,595, this is the Sandero I would ­recommend.

Not surprisingly, the inside of the Sandero doesn’t exactly look like a Mercedes. Or a Volkswagen Polo. Some of the plastics on the dashboard look very cheap.

They are – the car is very cheap. Besides, does it matter that you can see the passenger air bag cut out on the facia because the plastic is basic?

Is your passenger going to spend his or her time looking at it or stroking its surface? No.

It’s more important the heating controls and other switchgear is of good quality and works smoothly.

There’s no steering wheel adjustment and limited seat adjustment but I didn’t have any trouble finding a comfortable driving position. It’s interesting how we’ve got used to having so many features in a car and few of them we really, really need.

The 1.2 litre engine feels a bit gruff when you rev it hard. So avoid doing so because you don’t really need to.

It feels like it’s an engine from a few seasons back but if that really bothers you then you can order your Ambiance or Laureate (the poshest model) with Renault’s state of the art TC3 90 three-cylinder turbo engine, also in the Clio.

We tried it in a Sandero Ambiance and it transforms the car. If you want this engine add another £800 to the Ambiance’s price – now we’re up to £7,395.

The Sandero is built to last – not just in Salford but in Sierra Leone. Don’t expect a fantastic ride and handling because that isn’t what this car is about. It’s comfortable and more importantly, it’s spacious.

Three adults will be very comfortable in the back and 750mm of rear legroom is well up to that found in rivals costing £5,000 more. The Sandero has more space than a Peugeot 208 and a generous 320 litres of luggage area with the rear seats up (1,200 litres with them flat).

The greatest thing about the new Dacia Sandero is that Dacia doesn’t force you into paying for a load of stuff that you don’t need.

Only Dacia gives you the option of not having a radio if you don’t like music or having electric windows if your arms still have the strength for a winder.